The perfect recipe to enjoy summer vacation with kids!

“I am bored!” Parents sure get dreaded by these three words.

Vacations are fun for children but seem tough for parents. There are valid reasons behind this. Children lie on the sofa for hours. Television is turned for the whole day long. The same old cartoon and movies are repeated over and over. For children, X box and mobile phones seem to be the only way to enjoy the vacations.

Parents keep worrying and wondering of ways to keep children productively active. As the vacations fall in summer children gladly accept rest over activities. They even refuse to go out and play. They simply say ‘I am bored’.

Children have their own way of saying these three words. They will come and sit quietly besides you and say ‘I am bored’ or they will walk straight up to parents and ask to entertain them. Some children will say it sarcastically, ‘there is nothing good to do. I am so bored.’ This could really get on the nerves of parents.

Fun fact – When children say ‘I am bored’ they might not mean what parents understand. It might mean that ‘I have run out of ideas to keep myself meaningfully occupied.’ So, don’t get your children wrong. Guide them instead.

Below are some ideas to enjoy summer vacation with your kids!

1. Create a boredom box at home:

Remember when you found a cool activity to do with your child but didn’t have time? Yes! Put that toy or game, even a note in the boredom box. Every time you had an idea but couldn’t work on it put it in the box. Something you want to read but decide to read at leisure.

Some song you loved and decide to listen when you are absolutely free. Create a file in your computer and store these amazing files in it. Drop your songs, articles, links to a good blog in your boredom folder.

You can also put things which involve creativity. For example, take a bundle of newspaper and divide it in equal numbers. Challenge your children to create a tower from those limited papers. You will see their creativity expanding.

They will get activated to build something that seems impossible. There is a possibility that they might resist in the beginning. Have patience and next time when your child walks up to you saying ‘I am bored’ excitingly open the boredom box.

You can also try singing songs in a reverse. For example; Tum hi ho… could be Ho hi tum. This is a great exercise to break the comfort zone. It helps you stay alert and active.

Getting bored is one of the best things that can happen to a child. Getting bored means it’s time for a fun activity. Boredom means the time where you can explore doing something you have never done. Boredom is an opportunity to do many things. These things aren’t planned or in our routine sometimes. But, aren’t the unplanned events the most memorable?

2. Engage them in household chores:

Give some small chores to your children. Cleaning the windows or sorting out the clothes they don’t fit in. You can take them out to donate the clothes as well. This will teach them generosity and your bonding will get even stronger.

You can also encourage your child to plant a seed. Children can keep the record the plant’s growth in a diary. Not only that but let them be responsible to water the plants every day.

You can clean your children’s cupboard with them. Ask them to organize their clothes as per your makeup color palette. Empty the entire wardrobe. Your and your children will discover many small things with memories there.

The things that your children didn’t even know were there in the first place. Talk about that memory with your children. Laugh with them. You will be amazed by how incredibly momentary these small chores can be.

3. Play sports together:

With the regular school schedule, children don’t get enough time for the sport. Vacations are the best times to introduce them to new sports. You can also encourage your child to join the sport they are interested in. it can be as simple as a football or cricket, roller skates, even badminton. There are many sports club that groom children in that specific sport.

You can also ask your child to join a summer camp. Summer camps are the best to explore nature and new activity. Children can also experience trekking during vacations. Encourage them to do something that their body gets tired. Physical activity can turn out to be the best. Both in terms of health and fun.

4. Encourage them to learn something new:

There are many things that parents keep worrying about. They feel like their child isn’t grown enough to learn this or do that. This is the reason why they don’t let children do a few things.

This vacation teach your child to do something new. Something they haven’t done before. Encourage them and guide them until they learn it properly. Learning and improving increases somebody’s self-esteem tremendously.

It can be something as simple as cooking. If your children know how to cook, maybe teach them a new dish. Explore different cuisines together. Guide them to use an electronic cooking device. If your child is a teenager, teach driving. Maybe how to use a vacuum cleaner.

It can be reading certain books as well. This will help them learn something new. Expand their mind. It can be teaching them how to write. Maybe how to write certain blogs or create small videos. There are many apps like Canva, which is a graphic design tool. You can teach your child apps like that. You can also ask your child to do some small research.

For instance; if you are a family of 5, how about research on what happened 200 years ago on the day your family members were born? They can create a small video out of that research. You will be amazed at how that turns out.

5. Introduce them to charity:

Encourage your child to do some contributive work in nature. Let them add some social value around them. Something that is kind and selfless. This can be something as simple as teaching the grandparents how to operate the mobile. Maybe teaching parents how to create a story on Snapchat. Ask them to visit the elderly neighbors and ask for some work to do. Something that will help the elder. Something that they are unable to do.

Children can form a group in your society for a campaign. A campaign like saving the environment, keeping it clean. Ask them to motivate at least 50 families to have a small jar of water outside the house. The water to be drunk by the birds who must be parched and thirsty this summer. Make your child a part of a contributive exercise.

Closing thoughts:

This summer indulge with your child in ways that you couldn’t imagine before. Maybe that was due to children’s busy school schedule. Maybe because of the stress of studies. Vacations allow you to get involved with your children.

It presents you with the greater gift that is time. Utilize this time to bond with your child. Look for new ways that will bring your family close. Have a great summer. May this summer be the best summer for your family.